Northbound I-5 open as Chinese president leaves Tacoma

The latest traffic updates for the South Sound during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tacoma:

6:30 p.m. Northbound I-5 is open at Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, WSDOT says. Backups are stretching to South 56th Street.

5:56 p.m. WSDOT says northbound I-5 is packed solid between state Route 16 and Pacific Avenue.

5:50 p.m. WSDOT says now all ramps to northbound I-5 up are closed as far north as the West Seattle Bridge. That includes the ramps from I-405 and state Route 518.

5:45 p.m. Ramps to northbound I-5 are closed from the Pierce County line to Kent, according to WSDOT.

5:40 p.m. Northbound I-5 is closed at Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, and ramps from eastbound state Route 518 to northbound I-5 and from the southbound I-405 HOV lane to northbound I-5 have closed, WSDOT says.

5:23 p.m. He’s here. Southbound I-5 is back open.

Southbound state Route 167 looks scary.

 

5:07 p.m. Ramps to southbound I-5 are open from Southcenter to Federal Way, WSDOT says.

5 p.m. The Seattle Department of Transportation reports an 8 mile backup on southbound I-5 starting at Southcenter. Drivers are advised to use state Route 99 and state Route 509, instead of I-5.

4:54 p.m. Southbound I-405 and all its ramps are open, WSDOT says, as is southbound I-5 at Southcenter Boulevard.

4:38 p.m. WSDOT has added to its list of backups:

Ramps to westbound state Route 520 have opened.

4:33 p.m. All ramps to southbound I-5, from state Route 518 and I-405 in Southcenter to I-705 and state Route 7 in Tacoma are closed, WSDOT says. KIRO-TV reports the motorcade is leaving Redmond for Tacoma.

4:20 p.m. WSDOT is reporting backups:

▪ Southbound I-5 at Boeing Field

▪ Westbound state Route 18 from Weyerhaeuser Way South to I-5

▪ Northbound state Route 167 from South 180th Street to I-405

▪ Southbound I-405 to Northeast 85th Street

▪ Southbound state Route 499 to Tukwila International Boulevard

▪ Westbound state Route 520 to state Route 202

▪ Eastbound state Route 518 from Sea-Tac Airport to I-5

 

3:55 p.m. Westbound state Route 520 is closed in Redmond, as is eastbound state Route 518 to southbound Interstate 5, and state Route 18 to southbound Interstate 5, WSDOT says.

3:45 p.m. Crews closed southbound Interstate 5 at Southcenter Boulevard, and southbound Interstate 405 at state Route 520 in Bellevue, the state Department of Transportation said via Twitter. This may be the route the motorcade takes from Redmond to Tacoma, where he’s expect sometime after 5 p.m.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Northbound I-5 open as Chinese president leaves Tacoma."